➤ DONJA R. LOVE, from p.56
attending an HIV support group,
coping with debilitating side effects
from meds, and wild hookups
with dudes from Grindr. When he
fi nished the play, he simply left it
buried in his phone, not showing
it to anyone.
“I decided it would be between
me and the Lord and that would
be it,” Love said.
But then he met a young Black
man who recounted his own devastating
journey after being diagnosed
with HIV. He shared stories
about his dependency on alcohol,
how he used sex to numb himself,
how he stopped taking his meds.
Love was thunderstruck because it
mirrored what he went through.
“In that moment, I realized this
play does not belong to me. It belongs
to my community,” he said.
In light of the current Black
Lives Matter movement, “One in
Two” resonates even more acutely.
“We must liberate ourselves from
the shame and stigma and all of
these oppressive systems that literally
try to take us out,” said Love.
“I fi rmly believe that the reason
that the statistic is one in two has
very little to do with sexual activity
and has so much to do with the intersection
of white supremacy and
anti-blackness. We see that in the
most extreme ways of healthcare
professionals not paying attention
to us, not listening to us, honestly
not giving a damn about us.”
Lack of funding is a major roadblock.
As Love sees it, long-established
groups like Gay Men of African
Descent or the Black AIDS
Institute still have to beg for resources.
They are rarely included
in the conversation. Meanwhile,
predominantly white organizations
like GMHC and ACT UP have
thrived. There is a vast inequity.
The development process for
“One in Two” was painful for Love
because he had to witness some of
the most traumatic moments in his
life being played out for all to see.
“I had to sit through individuals,
rightfully so, questioning, analyzing,
unpacking, and at times challenging
certain moments in my
life,” he explained. “I had to learn
how to hold space for Donja the
soul and the spirit. And how to
also show up as an artist.”
There were even times when he
ditched rehearsal because it was
too overwhelming. He credits his
community of collaborators for
helping him through the process.
Ultimately, Love hopes that
through his art perhaps he can
help reduce stigma and infection
rates.
Green, meanwhile, hails “One in
Two” as an urgent, magnifi cent gift
to the queer Black community, a
“healing ritual that inspires.”
PRIDE PLAYS 2020 FESTIVAL
| In partnership with Playbill and
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater |
Access on Playbill.com | “The Men
from the Boys” Jun. 26 at 7 p.m. |
“Masculinity Max,” Jun. 27 at 7 p.m.
| Free Pride Spectacular Concert,
Jun. 28 at 8 p.m.
➤ PITTSBURGH, from p.43
that his comment on Zoom “was
not immediately addressed” by his
fellow commissioners.
According to Pittsburgh’s CBS
affi liate, the day after the Zoom
meeting, one of those commissioners,
Angela Wateska, said, “I was
very surprised and it took me a
while to process what he was saying.
By the time I realized what he
was saying, too much time had
gone by, but honestly, I still should
have said something.”
The same day, Scott Township
Manager Denise Fitzgerald said a
letter of apology, which she said all
commissioners should sign, would
be circulated on social media.
The letter stated that the Board of
SCOTT-TWP.COM
Paul G. Abel resigned on June 17 a week after his
transphobic comment.
Commissioners does not “condone”
Abel’s statement and apologized for
its members “not coming forward
sooner.”
The entire board, including Abel,
signed the letter.
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GayCityNews.com | June 25- July 15, 2020 69
/Playbill.com
/SCOTT-TWP.COM
/GayCityNews.com
